Santa Fe Gardening Library

In the last article we talked about water harvesting and recycling. This is an over discussed but very important issue with much to be learned from. We are now at a turning point as to how we look at our water resources, both in building and in landscaping.

Many of the flower pots that we have the pleasure to plant and care for throughout the growing season lie sad and empty through the five longs months of winter here. Increasingly though, we have dressed up some of these pots with winter options.

It always seems like the gardening season was so short when we watch it slip away. We walk out and look at our pots, often displaying their richest colors of the years and feel that bitter sweet feeling knowing that the days are numbered.

What do you say about summer gardens after Labor Day? Well in Santa Fe, many people consider this the best time of year. While many Santa Fe gardens are fading out, the air is crisp and the light is perfect.

Summer is winding down but we still have a few more weeks. This is the time to give your containers one last large pruning and deadheading as they will last until mid November, much past the first frost, if they don”t over grow themselves.

Every summer I have the privilege of visiting my family in Maine in August. I am always amazed at how many plants are similar in the late summer, while the truly stunning ones are usually specific to a certain location.

Last week was particularly rough for many of us Santa Fe landscapers, particularly those of us who maintain gardens on the Eastside. Thursday’s hail knocked holes in large foliage, beat leaves off the trees, and stripped flowers off of many blooming annuals and perennials.